Loki

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Do We Need a Female Superhero Before We Can Have a Female Villain?

Marvel
With so many superhero movies and reboots to keep track of, it's no surprise that Fox's planned Fantastic Four reboot has gotten somewhat lost in the shuffle. The project has been in the works for some time, although it was rumored to have originally been concived as a starring vehicle for Michael B. Jordan. The Fruitvale Station actor has been all but confirmed as the new Johnny Storm, but although the studio has been looking at many different actors to fill out the rest of the lineup, nobody else has remained a constant. Most recently, Jordan's That Awkward Moment co-star Miles Teller was rumored to be in the running for Reed Richards, with British actor Christian Cooke testing for the role of Ben Grimm, and Emmy Rossum and Kate Mara becoming the latest actress to test for Sue Storm. However, the most interesting news that the studio has revealed in these casting reports is that Dr. Doom will definitely be the film's villain, but although they are hoping to cast a big name in the role, the team is interested in looking at both male and female actors for the part — meaning that Fantastic Four could possibly have a female super villain.
Of course, since these are still only early reports, we can't know for sure how likely a female Dr. Doom is, but the news is still exciting nonetheless. Good female roles have been notoriously hard to find in superhero films, and all of the latest reboots and sequels have left many comic book fans desperate to see a female hero on the big screen. A female villain is not quite as significant, but it would still be a major step forward for superhero films.
There are many popular female villains in comic books and video games, but these villains tend to be smaller side villains who either assist the big bad with their plans, or are dispatched with early on in the film. Both Poison Ivy and Catwoman have been featured on the big screen, but neither of them were given the same amount of screentime or story attention as the main villains of those films were (unless you count Halle Berry's Catwoman movie, which you shouldn't). And although Harley Quinn has a massive fan following, she's more of a sidekick for the Joker than anything else. Dr. Doom, on the other hand, is a major villain, one whose backstory and motivations have been given a great deal of attention and screentime, and he's always been the Fantastic Four's primary adversary. Casting a woman in this kind of role would mean that she would get significantly more attention, as well as guaranteeing her a spot in multiple Fantastic Four films.
Since this films would be a reboot and origin story, the story would have to dedicate a significant part of the plot to establishing Dr. Doom's backstory and explaining her motivations, which would help to create a character that is three-dimensional and sympathetic. It's possible, then, that Dr. Doom could become a popular character amongst fans who can empathize with her or who find the character to be complicated and interesting, like the Marvel fans who have rallied behind Loki as their favorite character. While that doesn't necessarily mean that Dr. Doom would then get her own film, it might help encourage studios and filmmakers who are worried that a female superhero wouldn't be well received. After all, if a female villain could earn a huge following, who's to say that a female hero couldn't earn a bigger one?
Of course, changing Dr. Doom to a woman would cause a great deal of backlash before there would be any opportunity for her to build a following. Many comic book fans are resistant towards seeing their favorite characters changed for the big screen, and since even small tweaks (like upping Batman's age for Ben Affleck to play him, or the possibility of Lex Luthor not being bald) tend to result in a great del of outrage, the reaction towards turning Dr. Doom into a female character would likely be even bigger. Fantastic Four has already had to endure controversy over the decision to cast Jordan as Johnny Storm, since in the comics, the character is white, which might make the team behind the film even more hesitant to take a chance on an unusual casting choice. Not to mention, by and large, the reaction to female characters from male comic book fans tends to be more negative than positive — even fan favorite Black Widow is often attacked whenever a new Avengers film is released.
However, even if fans could get past the shock of a female Dr. Doom, making a woman a super villain seems like the easy way to give females more prominent roles in franchises. Generally, there is a type of actor who plays villains, and a type who play heroes, and there is very little overlap between those two groups. In much the same way, portraying women as villains could keep both studios and audiences as viewing women as heroes. The protagonist of a film is the character through which the audience views the story, and since superhero films are generally targeted at a male audience, studios prefer to keep the protagonist a man, buying into the impression that the audience can better identify with a male, and therefore will come see the film and its sequels. They believe that men will have a harder time identifying with female protagonists, which means that studios are reluctant to mount a female superhero film, since they are worried that a male audience will have more trouble connecting with the character and the film, and therefore enjoy it less. However, studios might feel it's easier for men to identify women as villains than as heroes — particularly since a great deal of pop culture stereotypes women into "nagging wife" or "femme fatale" characters — and so it's an easy way for them to make progress with female characters without jeopardizing their target demographic.
All of which means that just because female character may start playing a bigger role in Fantastic Four or other superhero franchises, it doesn't mean that a female superhero film will hit theaters any sooner. It's easy to make women the villain, because it's easier for audiences to accept that, and therefore easier for studios to guarantee a return. But a female-fronted superhero film is a risk, and since studios can't guarantee that it will be a success, it's not a risk they're willing to take. And if audiences get comfortable seeing women as villains, it makes it even more difficult to put a female hero film in motion, because it makes it even harder for audiences to picture a female superhero film.
We would love a female Dr. Doom, or any female super villain, but in the end, it's not likely to help get that female superhero film made. In fact it could end up doing more harm than good. But that doesn't mean that fans should stop pressuring filmmakers and studios to make them, because we shouldn't be forced to just accept the way things currently are. And then, once we finally get that Wonder Woman or Captain Marvel or even a Black Widow or Scarlet Witch solo film, we can add in female villains, from Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy to a female Dr. Doom, and have films that feature both good and bad women, and female characters that are just as complex, interesting, and worth rooting for or against as the current crop of male superheroes and villains are.
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Walt Disney via Everett Collection
Tom Hiddleston is a busy man. The actor has just signed on to star in High-Rise, an adaptation of J.G Ballard's classic thriller of the same name. The film, which will be directed by Ben Wheatley and penned by Amy Jump, will follow a man who must survive in a futuristic high-rise building where the residents are cut off from society and lose their grip on reality. Aside from this new project, Hiddleston has also replaced Benedict Cumberbatch as the lead for the upcoming Guillermo del Toro horror flick Crimson Peak, and is featured in the upcoming Muppet film, Muppets Most Wanted. If all that wasn't enough, you can all but hear the cries from Marvel and Disney for him to come back and reprise his role as Loki, because for all the success that Marvel has had in creating their cinematic universe, they haven't managed to create a villain as sinister or alluring as the Asgardian trickster god. But if you take a close look at all of these films that the actor has lined up for the next couple of years, something interesting begins to stand out. Hiddleston has a del Toro Horror film, a puppet comedy, and a new dystopian thriller on his docket, but there's not a drama in sight? In fact, all of his upcoming films are some form of genre fare, which leads to the question: where are all the dramas?
After conquering the world, the box-office, and a sizeable chunk of Tumblr as Loki in The Avengers and the two Thor movies, you would expect the actor to take a step back from genre flicks and take some time to do some smaller projects. In fact, many young actors like to take a post-genre cleanse after reaching blockbuster success. Some like and take on some Sundance-ready indies, or put some prestigious dramas under their belts. James Franco did it after Sam Raimi's Spider-Man series limped its way to the finish line. Taking a step back and focusing on both drama and genre films netted him an Oscar nomination for 127 Hours, but also revealed the actor's hidden depths and versatility. Now he's a guy who can turn a role in a boisterous comedy This Is the End, and then move on to creating an adaptation of William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying. Shia LaBeouf also took a step back from genre films after finishing off the Transformers series, though his reputation is probably worse off after the bizarre Howard Cantour plagiarism scandal that baffled the entire movie-watching world in late 2013.
The thing is, we want to see Hiddleston expand his role choice to include smaller and quieter films, like 2011's The Deep Blue Sea. Maybe take a romantic dramedy for a spin, or even something like a historical dramedy. It's not that we don't want to see him play Loki anymore, it's more that we want to see the actor spread his talent to a more diverse set of movies. We want to see thee actor apply that same epic gravitas to something more grounded than another film set in the clouds of Asgard, or whatever loopy dreamscape del Toro has in mind for Crimson Peak. Hiddleston is a actor with a deep background in Shakespeare (something readily apparent when you see his tragic take on Loki), and we want to see the actor really flex his acting muscles.
The name of the game in modern Hollywood is versatility, and an actor as seemingly talented shouldn't limit his gifts to genre entertainment when there's a whole wide world of film that could use more of the man behind the horns of Loki. All of this is not to say that genre films are a somehow lesser form of art, or that they require less talent, but an actor like Hiddelston could do wonders in more soulful parts now that he's muscled his way into the mainstream. Let's hope he finds some time between superheroes and horror flicks to find projects that really show off his range as an actor.
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Paramount via Everett Collection
Even though there's still three months to go before Captain America: The Winter Soldier will be released in theaters, Marvel is reportedly already working on a third installment of the franchise. Though it was only a matter of time before another sequel was announced - like the rest of Marvel's recent films, The Winter Solider is expected to be a box office smash — the studio has decided to move more quickly than usual in an attempt to lock down the film's directors, Joe and Anthony Russo, for the third film. Though everything is still in the early planning stages, footage from the film has impressed both Marvel and test audiences, which propelled the studio into moving forward with the new project.
The biggest doubt as of right now seems to be whether or not The Winter Solider will actually live up to its hype, but it seems highly likely that the film will continue the studio's long line of successes. Cap is one of Marvel's most beloved characters, and Chris Evans' performance in The Avengers has helped win over any moviegoers who may not have enjoyed the first Captain America film. That kind of pedigree alone means that there should be no problems attracting an audience for the sequel, but it will be helped by forcing Cap to deal head-on with the way that society has changed in the 70 years that he was frozen. Introducing the emotional and psychological ramifications that come with the Avengers' jobs and histories received rave reviews from both critics and fans in Iron Man 3, and continuing that thread in The Winter Soldier will help to not only add depth and substance to the action sequences, but also to help make the character and his philosophy more timely.
In addition, the film will see the return of plenty of familiar faces, including Black Widow, Nick Fury and Bucky Barnes, and since all three are fan favorites despite not having any solo films, that will certainly help attract a larger audience. There will also be a new love interest, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Sharon Carter, and a new sidekick for Cap, Stan Wilson, a.k.a. Falcon. The presence of these new characters, coupled with the emotional hurdles that Cap will have to face, open up new storyline possibilities for the character, both in the larger Marvel universe and, perhaps more importantly, in the third Captain America installment.
Though he joined the team for a while in the comic books, the Avengers lineup is already pretty crowded, so it's hard to see anyone adding Falcon into any of the upcoming Avengers films, other than in a supporting role. Therefore, the third Captain America film would be the ideal place to expand the character's screentime and explore his character further. It's already been revealed that he and Cap will bond over their shared history in the military and sense of duty, and it would be great to see that backstory fleshed out in a way that helps establish Falcon as his own, distinct character. The films have proven relatively adept at creating three-dimensional characters despite a lack of screentime, and often find ways to discuss and explore Natasha and Black Widow's past despite her only playing a supporting role in other hero's films. In the comics, Falcon had an important presence as Cap's partner, and it would be nice to see the films do justice to his importance, even if they can only do it through the Captain America films.
Similarly, The Winter Soldier seems set to forge a bond between Black Widow and Cap, both platonically and romantically, which could cause a problem with both Hawkeye and Sharon Carter. The Avengers seemed to establish some romantic tension between Black Widow and Hawkeye, and so having her and Cap become involved could either be a sign of Hawkeye's diminishing importance in the Avengers lineup, or it could set up a conflict amongst teammates, as Cap doesn't seem the type to be comfortable with overstepping those kinds of personal boundaries. Meanwhile, Sharon Carter plays a significant role in the comics, and she and Cap have a long, if somewhat tumultuous, relationship. It seems like Sharon will be appearing in several films within the universe, which means that the studio might be establishing a love triangle. It's a plot development that they've tried before, most notably in the two Thor films with Thor, Lady Sif and Jane, but it has never been particularly well received by audiences. These two women are well-written, smart, and interesting characters in their own right, so the last thing we would want for either one of them would be to see the third Captain America film taken over by a love triangle that pits them against one another. It not only takes away from what would probably be an exciting, compelling storyline, but it would negatively impact both characters.
The other major character introduction that will be occurring in The Winter Soldier is Bucky Barnes, Cap's best friend who has been brainwashed into a Soviet assassin. Although the main villain will be played by Robert Redford, the Winter Soldier will likely be a recurring villain, like Loki, and appear in multiple films throughout the universe. Both the bad guys in Cap's films are strongly to their time period and the political climate of the day, which makes it impossible for them to flit across the various planets and times that make up the Marvel universe. Bucky, however, is bot bound by those same laws, and like Loki, can move through those different universes and films in a way that seems to hint at the possibility of him being the main villain of either an Avengers film or the third Captain America. Setting him up to be the villain of the third film would be a good idea, as it forces Cap to confront the idea of fighting against his best friend, rather than beside him, which, again, helps give the film some depth. The implications and consequences of a character that has been brainwashed into evil are too interesting to be brushed off at the end of the film, and so we'd love to see the Winter Soldier be the big bad of the third film, if only to learn more about what Bucky has gone through.
The down side to news of the third film is that Marvel won't be giving a solo film to any of the other major characters, but Cap's position as one of the leaders of the Avengers allows them to incorporate those characters into his storylines, and give them more screen time. It would be really interesting to see Hawkeye or the Hulk team up with Cap on his next mission, instead of simply having Black Widow play the supporting role in every film, especially since neither character got to interact with him much in The Avengers. The fact that Marvel is expanding Cap's universe and history so much makes bringing in outside characters difficult, but since anything the Avengers do will affect them as well, it seems like it would be worth the effort.
Of course, since nothing has been officially confirmed by Marvel as of yet, there's still a chance that all of this can change, and characters like Falcon and Bucky could end up being significantly less important or interesting than we thought. But since there's nothing to do until Captain America: The Winter Soldier is released on April 4, there's no harm in trying to guess what the studio has up its sleeve.
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FOX
Rainn Wilson, who we all remember as Dwight Schrute from The Office, is going to be on his own show, Backstrom. He'll be playing a detective who has trouble relating with anyone and speaks his mind all the time. Basically it's House as a police detective. Oh wait. That would be Sherlock Holmes, another character known for his sharp tongue and inability to tolerate anyone who he deems an idiot. That's all well and good, but will we be just be seeing Schrute trying to play detective when we watch this show?
This is another case of an actor possibly having a role that might dog him in other shows. Wilson's a good actor, but has Schrute ingrained himself in our minds and we may just have a hard time unseeing that. In other words, he might be pigeon-holed into Schrute-type roles if we can't get past this. Sure, Jeremy Irons said that all actors get stuck in situations like that, but then again, Irons can say that, since he's actually had a very diverse career. Hearing things like that must drive other actors nuts. It's like Bill Gates saying that everyone struggles with money sometimes.
There are actors that only get certain roles. You'll only see them as maybe a mafia tough goon as opposed to an intrepid newspaper reporter. That's OK. You'll know what you're getting when you turn on the TV or attend a movie, but those tend to be the peripheral or background characters. Those people are immediately relegated to the background of your mind as you focus on the main characters. It's more disappointing to see a more mainstream actor get out of that. For example, after the whole Avengers/superhero movie craze completely dies down, will Tom Hiddleston be able to get past the role of Loki? He may be fully embracing it now, but what about five years down the road? Is he still going to want to be remembered as the guy who got beaten down by the Hulk? (I admit I still watch this scene when I'm in a bad mood.)
I know that when I watch Backstrom, there are times that I might expect the camera to cut to a confessional-type interview and watch the detective try to explain what he did. Who knows? Wilson may surprise us all and manage to give us a side of him that we haven't seen in The Office. People may look back at this piece and say, "What was he thinking?"
I'd love to be wrong here. Then again, people couldn't catch me to tell me that, since as Schrute himself said, "I'm faster than 80% of all snakes."
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20th Century Fox
Less than a week ago, it seemed almost impossible that Fox would be taking the chance on serializing their X-Men franchise. But the studio's just confirmed, via FirstShowing, that the next film in the series, X-Men: Apocalypse, will not be another self-contained entry but a "direct sequel" to Days of Future Past. They'll even be using the classic Marvel post-credits tease to reveal their next villain.
[For the curious and SPOILER immune: Magneto, as played by Michael Fassbender, will come across the space mutant Apocalypse, who will possess his body and amplify his powers enough to make Magneto the most powerful mutant on Earth.]
Well, Fox, sounds like you put your money where your mouth is going to be in 2016! That promise to be more inspired by Marvel seems to be genuine. Even the inclusion of Apocalypse, an all-powerful villain, is pretty similar to Marvel's Ultron (though the former's space alien is swapped out for the latter's sentient robot).
Well, if you're going for it, Fox, why not copy a few more things?
- Same World, Different Heroes: Why shouldn't the new Fantastic Four take place in the same universe as the X-Men? That X-universe has had seven films to work itself out, and while everything hasn't always landed well, it's survived for 15 years.
- Humor: When dealing The Marvel films, especially the Iron Mans, mix serious subject matter with jokes. The younger X-Men cast is plenty charismatic, so it would help to see some occasional levity to lighten the weight of the apocalypse.
- True Ensemble: As we saw in the trailer, X-Men: Days of Future Past might seem like an ensemble piece, it looks like it will still primarily be driven by Wolverine. But The Avengers honestly gave each member of the group time to shine, and Apocalypse should be the same.
But Marvel isn't perfect, and they've run into a few stumbling blocks along the way. Here are a few things to avoid:
- Boring MacGuffins: When you have to follow an object like the Tesseract through several movies, you end up either confusing those who have no idea what it is, or boring those who have heard an explanation multiple times.
- Gun Shy on Kills: Bringing back Coulson, refusing to get rid of Loki — when characters get popular, Marvel is hesitant to go through with their plans to acknowledge mortality through their deaths.
- Diversity: The X-Men is a wonderfully diverse group of heroes and villains, and the films have reflected that somewhat, but there's still a default to the main white male characters of Wolverine and Magneto. Drawing in other characters (or, in the case of Storm or Mystique, developing their characters so the two Oscar winners who play them have something to do).
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MTV After Hours
A couple of weeks ago, we touched on Tom Hiddleston's at-times pretentious (but still adorable!) mannerisms. But in addition to being one of the most skilled backdoor braggarts out there, we can't lose sight of the fact that Hiddleston is made up of pure awesome. I mean, I've always been a Hiddleston fan, and a recent viewing of Thor: The Dark World only increased his swoonage factor; he really did steal the show. But even better than (or at least on par with) his turn as the "God of Mischief"? All of the publicity he's done in recent months to promote it. It's been quite a boon to all of the Hiddlestoners out there: his quite numerous appearances have provided us with enough Hiddleston-charm to get us through a drought (luckily, we're not expecting any sort of Hiddleston deprivation any time soon). Here are some of our favorites:
* His dancing to K-Pop was pretty awesome, but he really schooled us in this MTV After Hours clip:
Boy can move! And in his Avengers-themed pajamas, no less. "Snake hips" may just go down in fandom history for years to come. His attempt at pop 'n lock is also pretty unforgettable in and of itself.
* And speaking of MTV, we recently saw the return of "Loki'd" and the mustachioed Steve.
* He took selfies (or "selca") with K-Pop band Girls Generation singer Tiffany.
* On a related note, if you haven't seen this video of Hiddleston giggling at a video compilation of himself giggling (Hiddle-ception?), you're really missing out.
* There's also the fact that he posed as a damsel in distress, thus making himself the target for a lot of wonderful photo manips.
* He (attempted) to teach Cookie Monster about delayed gratification.
* His impressions are quite hilarious.
* And the cherry on top? Let's not forget that he showed up at San Diego Comic Con in character as Loki.
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Walt Disney
If you haven’t managed to check out Thor: The Dark World in theaters yet, we highly recommend it. Even if you’re not a huge fan of Thor (maybe you’re a Captain America or Iron Man fan, we don’t judge) or superhero flicks in general (how could you?), the Marvel film is worth a watch if only for Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston. Although Loki’s name might not be in the title of the movie, he certainly steals the show.
From his first moments in the film — doing a snarky Bellamy salute, snapping his heels together and all — to the very final scene in which he reveals himself on the throne of Asgard, Loki is reason enough to watch Thor: The Dark World.
One of Loki’s best moments is when he’s arguing with Thor while the hero attempts to fly a Dark Elf ship out of Asgard. “Well done, you just decapitated grandfather,” is just one of many hilarious Loki quips as he does his best impression of an amazingly annoying back-seat flyer.
Then there are Loki’s more vulnerable moments: when Thor finds Loki distraught in his cell after their mother’s death (it was yikes-worthy) and his “death” scene. (We all know Loki will never die. Ever.)
But the best Loki-moment is when he creates the illusion that he looks like Captain America (a fantastic cameo from Chris Evans). It reminded fans why Loki is called the god of mischief and gave a nod to the other Marvel films, all in the span of ten seconds.
Although we’re disappointed Loki won’t be in the next Avengers film, he’s still our favorite villain, and a big reason we enjoyed Thor: The Dark World.
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Walt Disney/Marvel
We all know his name by now. Chris Hemsworth. Oh mighty mighty Chris Hemsworth. Your eyes so blue, your hair so fine. You bring lightning from the heavens above, you’ve saved this Earth from perilous danger! Wait a minute ladies, is that really Chris? Let’s pretend for a minute that a lightning-calling hammer did exist in the real world, and let’s say there was a more than handsome man wielding the power to this tool. Would it really be Chris?
Yes, he is from Australia. Australia, Asgrad, Australia, Asgard? Thor has two parents, Chris has two parents. This is as close as the similarities get. Hemsworth has admitted publicly to bulking up for the role. He had apparently never lifted weights until he was cast in the role as Thor, so how the hell could he ever lift a hammer that saves the entire human race? Poor Chris cut his hand while grating ginger, the grater came apart and he cut his fingers fixing it. One wonders if he bandaged his hand himself or drove to the ER for stitches? Does he get a discount if he brings his hammer with him?
We’re not saying don’t believe what you wanna believe. But personally there’s probably a lot more to the man behind the cape that is Thor. Maybe his shoulder presses stop after filming, but he can probably make a really good banana ginger smoothie, even if it’s topped off with a little superhero wanna-be blood. Who wouldn’t drink that?
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Walt Disney/Marvel
In his first movie, Thor's story was a simple one: stop being a jerk. Ego deflation is a common theme among fictional princes or aristocrats — before achieving greatness, you must obtain goodness (I think I stole that from Oz the Great and Powerful, which only furthers my point). Although it works as a narrative device, it also stands as, arguably, the least interesting of the arcs that face the subjects of the Avengers Initiative. Steve Rogers had an underdog story — the "little guy" becomes the hero (comic book fans are suckers for that kind of thing). Bruce Banner struggled with major psychological traumas and an existential crisis. Tony Stark... well, he also kind of had the "stop being a jerk/ego deflation" thing, but he was a lot funnier about it.
And then, the powers. Captain America is a mortal man imbued with superhuman might and spirit. The Hulk is a behemoth, nearly impenetrable monster, but one undone by his own inability to control himself. Iron Man is only as good as the gadgets he himself can invent and bring to life... and those gadgets, mind you, are immutably cool. And Thor... he's a bulky demigod, one who has never toed the line of true peril, with a gigantic hammer. Even here, he stands as the least interesting of the bunch.
As such, when filmmaker Kenneth Branagh delivered a clunky, distracted story in his Thor, there was far too little intrinsic value in the character to keep us optimistic. The principal merits of Branagh's movie were its stars: even with dumpy material, Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, and Stellan Skarsgard were charismatic enough for a few bits of fun. With a vastly improved script in Thor: The Dark World — which ups the ante on the stakes, the excitement, the cleverness, and the humor — the returning players can shine even brighter.
The followup feature, this time from television director Alan Taylor, is the second Marvel Universe film to release after The Avengers, and the second to really harness itself to this Whedonized vision for these characters. Like Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World makes its sense of humor a chief priority, allowing its story of intergalactic warfare and the apocalyptic threat of a Dark Elf's accumulation of mystical power feel quite intimate. Piercing through these grand, fantastical elements, which command our attention just enough to set up their narrative importance but then fade to the background of some great character work, is the relationship between Thor (Hemsworth) and Loki (Hiddleston) — brothers who, despite everything they've been through in these past two years, have not entirely abandoned their love for one another. Beside them, we have the team back home: scientist Jane (Portman), who has been trying to get her life back in order since her otherworldly beau high-tailed it back to Asgard. We pick up with Jane in the middle of a blind date with an affably nervous Chris O'Dowd (I hope he, somehow, stays in the Marvel canon), carting her into the action when her plucky sidekick Darcy (Kat Dennings) alerts her of a wormhole of sorts located in a London back-alley.
That's as scientific as I'm able to get, both because I got a C in physics and because Thor: The Dark World is never all that concerned with laying down the rules of quantum mechanics. Jane will begin to blather on about the nature of some space-time anomaly before the movie shuts her up, content (as is its audience) with employing suspension of disbelief. "Just accept that these things are happening," Thor 2 says, "because we need them to happen. Besides, they're no more ludicrous than anything else you've seen so far, right?" Maybe a little — The Dark World is beyond the biggest purpetrator of Marvel's reliance on some weirdo hocus pocus — but that's what we signed up for. Kooky magic. And with the Dark Elves, the hellish planets, the intergalatic portals, and the venemous smoke monsters, there's a lot more impressive wizardry to behold than in Hemsworth's previous installment.
But it's not any of the elements of Thor: The Dark World that are the problem. The plot works, the magic works, the comedy works (even when it feels like Joss Whedon's B reel), and the character material works in spades — Thor and Loki's arc will both thrill and surprise everyone who has stuck with them through Thor and The Avengers. The only thing holding us back from really latching onto Thor: The Dark World is Thor. Standing up against Iron Man and Captain America, it might simply be that Thor cannot prove himself worthy of our independent attention. With the competition of these two riveting heroes, he and his films can come off primarily as filler material — what we'll take until Captain America: The Winter Soldier, preparation for The Avengers: Age of Ultron. We might never feel as fulfilled with a Thor movie as we do with a Captain America or Iron Man standalone feature. But at the very least we can admire this one critically. If Thor: The Dark World was about a hero we could really care for, it'd be one hell of a movie.
3.5/5
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Music Box Films/Everett Collection
In a recent interview with the London Evening Standard, Tom Hiddleston said, "I’m soooo aware of the borderline pretentiousness of my conversation." As his rabid fans (myself included? Not admitting anything here) know, Hiddleston has quite the penchant for esoteric references and waxing poetic when it comes to Shakespeare. Let’s take a look at his most-pretentious-ever quotes:
On Tilda Swinton: "And we read each other Rumi and talked about Einstein’s theory of entanglement and Hamlet and the White Stripes and Fibonacci. It was just an amazing time of sharing all the things that we loved, filling ourselves up with so many references that we were then happy to drop, because we knew what we were talking about." (From NowToronto)
Standard Hiddleston fare: a couple of vaguely academic references, along with a sly mention of that infamous brooding Dane ("There are some other princes I haven’t played yet, too." Hint, hint).
On Loki: "When I was constructing him with ['Thor' director] Ken Branagh — because Shakespeare is a shared passion and shared inheritance — we talked about the reference...he's kind of like Edmund in King Lear, Iago in Othello or Cassius in Julius Caesar. So I was borrowing archetypes from my knowledge of Shakespeare." (From the LA Times)
I suppose Shakespeare isn’t too big of a leap when your director is “Ken” Branagh — especially when Branagh himself states that Henry V was one of his sources of inspiration.
On his work in Midnight in Paris: "I met David O. Russell for dinner when he was in London for Silver Linings Playbook. I just wanted to tell him how much I loved the film. And he basically spent an hour telling me why he thinks Midnight in Paris is the greatest film that’s been made in the last 20 years, and he insisted on taking a picture because he was such a fan of Fitzgerald." (From Entertainment Weekly)
Oh, smooth backdoor brag, Tom. So what we can gather here is that Hiddleston’s hoping to star as Hamlet in David O. Russell’s ground-breaking adaptation – ooh! Jennifer Lawrence can play Ophelia, Melissa Leo can play Gertrude, and – who are we kidding, Russell would pass right over Hiddleston in favor of Christian Bale when it came down to the title role.
When all is said and done? We (the Hiddlestoners? Whatever, at least it’s more politically correct than “Cumberbitches”) love him all the more for his (over) enthusiastic name-dropping and über-academic manner of speaking. Who wouldn’t? He’s so damn irresistible! And if you’re ever feeling down on him, you can always temper this mass of pretentious-ness with the fact that he recently danced to K-Pop and sang Michael Jackson on a recent promotional tour of Seoul. Yeah, that actually happened.
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